The procurement policies reflect the interest of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its member countries to grant transparency, competition, equality of opportunities, and the principles of economy, efficiency and integrity in the procurement of IDB-financed operations.

The IDB provides funding to its Borrowing member countries with a broad range of loans and development programs. These operations involve procurement processes for goods, works, and services provided by firms and individuals.

The IDB is supporting Borrowing member countries in their effort to strengthen their procurement systems so that they meet international best practices. The goal is to have Borrowing member countries use their own systems to carry out procurement processes for IDB-financed projects, under the threshold for International Competitive Bidding (ICB), if the system or sub-system has been accepted by the IDB in compliance with the provisions in the Guide for the Acceptance of the Use of Country Procurement Systems. Consequently, IDB Procurement Policies shall be observed for ICB or for when a country’s system has not yet been accepted for use in Bank operations.

Below, please find all accepted country procurement systems and the IDB’s procurement policies. Note that the project’s Procurement Plan will specify the use of national system on the items where it will be used.

POLICY FOR THE USE OF COUNTRY PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS

The accepted country procurement systems for use in in IDB-financed projects are: (download table)

The Full use of country procurement systems refers to the acceptance by the IDB of the full public procurement system, based on its compliance with international best practices and for use under the threshold for ICB, as specified in the Guide for the Acceptance of the Use of Country Procurement Systems.

The Partial use of country procurement systems refers to the acceptance by the IDB of some procurement sub-systems, provided they comply with international best practices and are used in projects under the threshold for ICB, as specified in the Guide for the Acceptance of the Use of Country Procurement Systems.

*These will be indicated in the Procurement Plan and will observe country procedures, including the country guidelines regarding consultant fees in the public sector. Nonetheless, as an exception due to special cases or technical complexity, the Bank may authorize the use of its policies.

POLICIES FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF GOODS AND WORKS:

This document defines the IDB governing policies and procedures that are applicable for the procurement of goods, works and services different than consulting services for loans and technical assistance operations. The operations are ruled by the current version at the time of approval. See versions below.

POLICIES FOR THE SELECTION AND CONTRACTING OF CONSULTANTS

This document defines the IDB governing policies and procedures that are applicable for selecting and contracting consultants for loans and technical assistance operations. The operations are ruled by the policy version current at he time of their approval. See versions below.

Who can participate in a project financed by IDB?

In order to participate in IDB-financed project opportunities, bidders and goods need to comply with the eligibility requirement of being from an IDB member country. Specific information on how to fulfill this requirement is available in the Eligibility Section of the relevant Standard Bidding Document. For further information, please access document GN-2375 of June 3, 2005 and the updated List as of May 2015.

The Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs) are a useful tool for both Executing Agencies as well as bidders/participants since they contain instructions and provisions corresponding to the specific type of procurement processes. The objective of these SBDs is to ensure compliance with the principles of economy, transparency and efficiency in the execution of IDB-financed projects.

There are two types of standard documents for all countries:

Standard Bidding Documents for Goods and Works; and Request for Proposals for Consulting Services (firms). When the procurement plan requires an International Competitive Bidding (ICB) for goods, works or consulting services their use is mandatory.

Some countries require the use of their own standard bidding documents, agreed to by the IDB. Currently they are Colombia, Honduras, Jamaica and México.

In addition to the questions and answers that follow below regarding the information available on this web site, we recommend that you visit the different sections and review the presentation titled IDB Business Opportunities.

Where can I find Information on projects financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)?

Information on projects financed by IDB is available on the Projects web page in which you will be able to select search per Country, per Sector or in accordance with the Project Status: Preparation, Approved, Pending Implementation, Implementation, Completed, and Cancelled. All this information is also available through the IDB Application for mobile devices.

How many contract opportunities do IDB-financed projects generate every year?

IDB-financed projects generate between 20,000 and 30,000 contracts of different amounts for the procurement of goods, works and consulting services every year. To get a historical report of these contracts click on the section Awarded Contracts and do a search for contracts choosing either Goods and Works or Consulting Services for recent dates or within a period of your choice.

Who can participate in bidding processes for contracts of IDB-financed projects?

Firms and individuals who wish to participate in bidding processes need to comply with the eligibility definitions included in the document located in the last sub-section under Policies, based on the IDB’s Member Countries list.

What is it a General Notice and where can I find it?

It is a notice that is published by the executing agency implementing the project and it describes the project’s objective and its most relevant contracts. It is published within thirty days after the loan’s approval. The General Notices are accessible using the search engine in section Procurement Notices, selecting the Type General and All notices.

What is a Specific Notice and where can I find it?

It is a notice published by the executing agency implementing the project. The notice is inviting to bid (works and/or goods) or requesting expressions of interest (consulting) for a competitive process that will conclude in the signing of a contract. This notice comes out of the procurement items specified in the project’s Procurement Plan that is accessible in manual documents or in electronic format under the option Procurement SEPA. The Specific Notice can be published at the international level in the UNDB Online, in which case the IDB replicates a copy for public access in section Procurement Notices, or in the Government’s electronic site where it publishes contract opportunities. The executing agency can also publish in a local newspaper of wide circulation when advertising at the national level.

What is the necessary information to participate in a bidding process and where can I find it?

Once you have identified in the section Procurement Notices the specific notice advertising the bidding opportunity you are interested in, you must review in detail the information it contains in order to: (i) register and get the bidding documents from the project’s executing agency responsible for the bidding process; (ii) prepare the bid responding to all the technical specifications and information requested; and (iii) submit your bid before the date and time established as the deadline for submitting bids.

Are there opportunities for individual consultants?

Yes, there are opportunities for individuals. At the national level, they are published by the project’s executing agency in the electronic site where the Government publishes contract opportunities or in a newspaper with wide circulation. At the international level, it will be published on the UNDB online and the Bank will replicate for the public in section Procurement Notices under the type “Specific”.

Is it possible to associate with other firms in order to submit bids or proposals?

Yes it is possible. Firms can express interest for consulting services or submit bids in association with other firms. You will find more information on this subject on this web page in section Policies and in any of the accessible Standard Bidding Documents, in chapter Instructions to Bidders.

What bidding opportunities are there in any specific country?

Each country has its projects portfolio that you can search in the same way as indicated in response to Question #1 above. You may also review the Procurement Plans per country. Please note that some countries have their procurement plans only in electronic format for which you need to follow the link to Procurement SEPA indicated on the search engine.

Which are the policies that rule the procurement processes in IDB-financed contracts?

The Bank’s Procurement Policies are those available in section Policies.